Alzarri Joseph: A Superstar in the Making

Mumbai Indians bought Alzarri Joseph as a replacement of Adam Milne.

Joseph not only had a good debut, rather, he broke an eight-year-old record for the best bowling figures in the tournament’s history.

(Photo: AP)

When you have an opportunity, don't knock on it. Kick that thing in, smile, and introduce yourself.

Alzarri Joseph did just that. The Indian Premier League has witnessed many phenomenal debuts in its history. But Joseph not only had a good debut, rather, he broke an eight-year-old record for the best bowling figures in the tournament’s history.

Having led the West Indies U-19 team to the victory in the 2016 World Cup, Joseph is not new to fame and stardom. Tall, fast, and with a cool head above his shoulders, he is considered by many as the next West Indian superstar.

The West Indies team celebrating after winning the 2016 U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.(Photo Courtesy: ICC)

Joseph idolises Dale Steyn. He trained under the former West Indian pacer Winston Benjamin. He started his career by playing for a club that his father was also a part of. After that, he had a successful stint with Antigua playing in age-group cricket.

He made his debut in 2014 for Leeward Islands. He bagged his first 5-wicket-haul in his second domestic season against Guyana. The next match saw him decimate Windward Islands where he picked up his career-best figures of 7/46. These string of good performances earned him a call to the U-19 squad for the World Cup.

At the World Cup too, Joseph was pretty impressive. He was the third highest wicket-taker with 13 wickets against his name in 6 matches.

Selectors saw immense potential in him and he was drafted into the test side against the visiting Indian side in 2016. Joseph entered the international arena with a bang as he priced out the wicket of the Indian captain Virat Kohli with a peach of a delivery. The next couple of years saw Joseph being in and out of the team due to injuries.

Alzarri Joseph with his mother (Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Argyle Catwell)

His mental strength and commitment towards the game was for everyone to see when he decided to continue playing for his team despite the news of his mother’s demise during a test match vs England in 2019.

Alzarri Joseph’s rare feat helped Mumbai Indians register a 40-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a low-scoring game.(Photo Courtesy: BCCI/IPL)

Not only did he play the remaining game but also put on a remarkable show by getting both Joe Root and Denly out.

After his record-breaking debut for Mumbai Indians, it is hard to imagine that he was not part of the tournament before MI bought him in as a replacement of Adam Milne.

Nonetheless, he has announced his arrival in style and Mumbai Indians would hope he continues to make higher strides going forward.